Bombay Dreams and Golden Peacock earned Michelin nods while sticking to their roots

Indian restaurants in the Pearl River Delta are trying to convince customers there can be a refined and elegant side to a cuisine often sold as cheap and cheerful.

It's a sad fact that despite being recognised as one of the world's great cuisines, only a handful of Indian restaurants across the globe have been recognised by the Michelin Guide. Fortunately for us, one of those is in Hong Kong and another in Macau.

So what does it take for South Asian restaurateurs to please the Michelin inspectors? It turns out to be the same combination of authenticity, creativity, quality ingredients and attention to detail demanded of other restaurants. A hint of molecular gastronomy doesn't go amiss, either.

At the one-Michelin-star Golden Peacock at The Venetian Macao, molecular gastronomy appears on menus only on special occasions, says chef Justin Paul. It's used with a light touch, if the sandalwood-smoked scallops the chef made for us are any evidence. The scallop is hidden under a sandalwood foam and silver leaf, edible flowers and the vibrantly coloured pearls made by the molecular gastronomy technique of "sphericalisation". Slightly chewy from a 30-minute smoking process, the Scottish scallops take on the delicate aroma and flavour of sandalwood, an aroma more commonly associated with soap.

It's not an immediately obvious combination, but it works.

Other dishes are more down to earth. If there is one dish common to almost every table in India, it's lentil stew dhal. Chefs are judged by the smokiness of the dish and many keep their method secret. At Bombay Dreams in Wyndham Street, Central, the consultant chef is Irshad Ahmed Qureshi, a master chef from Mumbai who is happy to discuss his technique. He obtains a smoky flavour in his dhal by flavouring the oil and spices in the dish from the start - he places a lump of hot charcoal in the spiced cooking oil for a few minutes before removing it and adding other ingredients.